My Zero Waste Plan

Recently I have been thinking a lot about how I can make small changes to my everyday activities that will help me to reduce my waste production for the planet.  I’m always conscious of recycling, and if I’m out and about I’ll hold onto any plastic bottles until I’m home to make sure they make it into a recycling box.  I keep a hold of receipts so they will be recycling, or where possible I’ll turn them down if they don’t need to be printed at the till.   One of the biggest changes I’ve made recently is making sure that any fresh produce that I buy like fruit and veg are not wrapped in plastic, where it’s possible!  However, despite all this, there are still some things that I can do to make sure that I’m making a greater difference so I thought I would share these ideas with you all in a post, in case this is something you’ve been thinking a lot about too!

Water Bottle

From now on I’m going to make sure that I ALWAYS keep a water bottle on me at all times, and where possible use water fountains when I’m out and about so that I don’t need to purchase a drink in a plastic bottle.  I’m pretty good at this already, however I’m just going to make an extra conscious effort to make sure I follow through with this.  I’ve started taking two water bottles with me to work to 1. Make sure i’m drinking enough throughout those ten hour shifts, and 2. To avoid the need to purchase plastic water bottles because my refillable one is all out.

Lunch Box

Again, I do try and make the effort currently when I know that I’m going to be out during meal times to pack my meals in reusable containers, however sometimes it’s just so easy to chuck something small into a plastic bag to avoid carrying around big chunky containers.  However from now on, I’m going to make sure that I’m only using tuppawear to store my meals and snacks in, and I’m going to ditch the sandwich bags all together.  Even for when I’m making my daily batches of popcorn, it might be annoying carrying around 6 boxes a day to store food, but if it’s better for the environment that I’m willing to do it!  

Bags

From now on I’m carrying a tote bag/old paper bag on me at all times as well as my handbag, so that when I’m out at the shops, be it for food, clothes or whatever, I will be able to say no to the plastic bag.  Typically for me that would be around 3 bags a week, which is 12 a month, and around 144 a year – that’s a lot of plastic bags to reject!

This is where I’m starting for now, I know these are all fairly small and minor changes, however I’m researching everyday how to live a more zero waste lifestyle, and I’m taking it little by little.  If this is something of interest to you, then I’d highly recommend that you check out “A Plastic Ocean” on Netflix, as well as “The Story of Stuff” on Youtube – and let me know what you think!

I’ll be sure to keep you all posted on how I’m coping over the coming months!

Until the next one,

Lauren X

A Crazy Couple of Months

You'll have noticed that I've been very absent over the last couple of months, so I thought I would explain before jumping back into the blogging bandwagon!

First things first, I broke my laptop.  It's still broken, however I will be getting it fixed, or purchasing a new one, very soon.  My point is, I got kinda lazy.  I've been borrowing my brothers one on and off since my last post, but it's so slow and I just couldn't be bothered waiting the 20 minutes to get it up and started each time I wanted to blog.  Lazy, I know!  

                                    

Secondly, I got a new job!  I'm no longer a slave to retail *praise the lord!*  It was a super scary move for me because this job was kind of offered to me randomly, it wasn't something I'd ever consider doing, however, I felt like it was the exact move I needed to make to push me out of my comfort zone completely and to help me find out what it is that I exactly want to do with myself.  It was 100% the best decision for me, I absolutely love my new job, and whilst I still miss some people at my old one, I can safely say that I'll never miss the uncertainty of hours, uncertainty of my job description nor do I miss the bad vibes and atmosphere that so often filled the place.  I'm officially rocking this new work routine - and so now it's so easy for me plan things around my rota and to use my time for effectively.

                                           

Another aspect that I let get in the way of my blogging time was my new business with Arbonne.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE it and everything that it has to offer for me, however during my first couple of months I got super absorbed in it and I kind of let the blog slip whilst I was figuring out what I was doing.  Arbonne is still my safety net, my plan B and a great source of fun - however my blog is taking back the number one focus!

                                        

That's pretty much all I have to say.  Having had this little break has given me the chance to plan a lot of different ideas in my mind for the blog, now it's time to put pen to paper and bring these ideas to life!  I'm on holiday this week, totally milking this birthday week thing, and so I'll be using this time to get organised and ready to go! Expect to see a lot of things popping up over the next couple of months...

Here is to a productive end of the year! 

Until the next one,

Lauren X

Uncommon Goods - Gift Guide

It’s not even half way through the year yet, the kids are still on holiday, the sun is still

shining (on occasion!) and I’ve already started planning my Christmas shopping for this year.  That’s right, I’m one of THOSE people.  Christmas is one of my favourite times of year, because I love buying gifts for lovely people, and spreading the love and Christmas joy with every that I meet!  I could do Christmas all year round, seriously.  I was already in the midst of planning out some of the smaller bits and bobs to put away for the festive season when Rocky from Uncommon Goods approached me and asked for me to take a look at their site for some gifting inspo. 

Uncommon Goods are a US brand who have a focus on making themselves an environmental and sustainable retailer.  All of their goods are handcrafted and sources from individuals, crafters and small manufactures.  What I love the most about this is that they only stock goods that cause no harm to people or animals, meaning that their stock sustainable, mostly made from recycled materials and cruelty free! I'm currently working on becoming more green myself in regards to my waste - blog post to follow soon - and so this was important to me as I'll be looking carefully at where my money is going when I spend it. I love the ethics and everything about this brand, and I’m so delighted to be working on them for this post!

Here is a gift guide that I have personally put together from their fabulous selection of goodies.  These are just some of the bits that really stood out to me as I was browsing the site, although I reckon that I could build up a pretty hefty bill picking out bits for everyone, If my bank balance would allow me!

Lamarama Large Zipper Pouch

Uncommon Goods is one of those sites that no matter what section you land on, you are absolutely going to find something for every single person on your gift list.  I’ve got 6 siblings in total, and as I was scrolling through the Gifts for Her page, I came across this super cute coin pouch.  My sister Eve has a thing for Lamas – don’t ask – and so when I spied this I knew it would be the perfect match for her, as it would go perfectly with her lama hat that she wears during the colder months.  You do you Eve, you’re rocking it!

Elwood the Rainbow Unicorn Mug

Another gift that stood out to me as I was scrolling through the site was this gorgeous unicorn mug,  that I think  certain someone I know would absolutely love!  I don’t know about you, but there is nothing that I enjoy more at Christmas timue than enjoying a nice festive drink in the colder months in some cosy pjs and a nice new mug!  This bad boy is going to make a certain someone smile at Christmas time,

Ceramic Guitar Wall Sculptures

After scrolling for a good while checking out all of the lovely bits that I could grab for my sisters, my mum and my girlfriends – I finally a unique and special little something for my boyfriendthese handcrafted ceramic guitar wall sculptures.  My boyfriend likes to play on occasion when he’s in the mood, however he always keeps his guitars on the wall of his bedroom.  I know that when we have our own place, he’s either going to do the same in his man cave, or put them away somewhere, not to be seen unless he wants to play.  Should it be the latter, these cute sculptures would make the perfect compromise to remind him that he’s got them there, ready to be played when he is ready.

So there you have it, my Christmas shopping is well underway now after having been introduced to this fantastic site - I hope this gives you some gifting inspo too, Christmas or not!

Until the next one,


Lauren X

Day Trip in Aberdeen

Early last month was my little brothers birthday, and seeing as he is a fussy bugger, and wouldn’t tell me what he wanted for his birthday, I suggested that we have a day out in Aberdeen instead.  I never really know how much there was to do in Aberdeen until I started looking into it.  We managed three different activities and a bite to eat on our adventures, so I thought it would be nice to share so that you all could explore too!

Aberdeen Harbour Dolphin Tours

We started off our trip with a morning dolphin tour run by the Aberdeen harbour crew.  The tour lasted one hour and cost £10 per child and £18 per adult.  We were given a quick tour of the harbour before setting off to the beach to see all the dolphins, and it was fab!  Of course it couldn’t be guaranteed that we would see any, after all you are going out to see to see them in their own environment, it’s not a planned out show.  We were super lucky that day, the sun was shining, the water was nice and calm and the dolphins were full of life and energy – and there was loads of them too.  My brothers really enjoyed themselves as did I, they got a shot of steering the boat, and the chaps on board were really fun and made sure everyone on board didn’t miss a thing!

The Tollbooth Museum

This was something that I was really looking forward to, as the idea of exploring an old prison like building fills me with great joy, as did it for my brothers too!  Whilst not very big, and it doesn’t take very long to look around, the atmosphere was spot on, and it was great fun exploring the old prison cells, looking at the old tools and desperately clinging onto the walls and ropes as we climbed the long and twisted stair cases.  The building had an earie feel about it the whole time we were exploring, and with loads of information points to stop and read, it really was a great way to fill in a 30 minute void in our busy day.

Maritime Museum

Whilst I think that this would have been an activity I would have enjoyed more had I done a little more research prior to visiting, this was a great museum to take the kids to and explore and learn about the oil and gas industry, drilling, sea life and even some old school fishing tools.  What we thought was going to be an in and out kind of job actually turned into a near hour stay, there was so such to look at and interactive with, and with so many different floors to explore, they were sure that we weren’t going to miss anything!  Whilst we didn’t actually visit this part, there was a lovely looking café and gift shop that would have been nice had you been travelling from a distance or planning to spend a good couple o hours taking in all the place had to offer. 

We all really enjoyed our day out exploring Aberdeen’s hidden treasures, and I’ll be making sure that I take advantage of what is right on our doorstep again in the near future.

Is there any other places you think I should check out on my next adventure?

Until the next one,

Lauren X

Cruelty Free Brands I love

It is fast approaching my one year anniversary to when I decided to make the decision to swap over all of my cosmetics for cruelty free versions, so I thought I would share some of my favourite go to brands from over the last year!

Superdrug

Superdrug products were my number one brand of choice for the majority of the year, simply because of their low cost prince range and variety of products.  There are very few goodies that I did not enjoy using during the year, their B range and Naturally Radiant goods were up there with my favourites!  The majority of their products are labelled vegan, however there is never any questions about if they are cruelty free – they always are – which was the biggest selling point for me!

Lush

Lush will always have a soft spot in my heart, because in my eyes they can do no wrong with their products.  Whilst I think that the bath bombs and bubble bars are up their with my favourites goodies ever, the face cleansers were also a hot spot for me, alongside the fresh face masks.  Cup’O’Coffee, Love Lettuce and Let the Good Times Roll are all products that I adore, but there are too many bath bombs to share I’m afraid!

The Body Shop

These guys are also another brand that I love using for picking up little treats for myself here and there, as their products always made the best gifts for special occasions, and their special offers meant that whatever gift was on the cards, I could justify a treat for myself too!  The Body Shop recently announced that they are no longer owned by L’Oreal, which caused a lot of controversy before this was announced, and so you can be guaranteed that all of their goodies will be 100% cruelty free from now on!  Some of my favourite products include the body mists, body butters and hand sanitizers, however I’m also a sucker for their shower gels too.

Arbonne

Now that I’m an Independent Consultant for Arbonne, it makes financial sense for me to make purchases from my own store.  They are of course however the newest brand that I have introduced to my skincare routine, however they are by far the most impressive products too.  My favourties so far have got to be the Calm Moisturiser, RE9 Corrective Eye Cream, Shea Butter Body Lotion and the CC Cream, however I can honestly say that I’ve loved every product that I’ve tried out so far.

So these are just a few of the brands that I’ve absolutely loved using since I made the Cruelty Free changes in my cosmetics!  Leave me a comment if you think that there are any brands I’m missing out on, and let me know if you want any more info on any products in particular that I’ve listed above!

Until the next one,

June Favourites

It’s been a while since I did a favourites post, so I thought that this would be a good time to do one!  It’s a bit of a mix this month, but all things that I’ve been loving as of late.

Graze Protein Bites

I discovered these little gems at the end of last month, and since then I’ve seen the popping up in all of the local supermarkets, which excites me very much!  So far I’ve only tried out the banana ones, but let me tell you, these bad boys are good!  They’re super thick and quite flapjack like, however they’re also moist and kind of sticky, like a cereal bar!  I’ve made my way through three boxes alone so far, they’re great for breakfast or my early morning snack at work!

Sound Cloud

I’ve really been enjoying using sound cloud this month to listen to different audio files and to explore different ways of self-growth, I’ve been using this a lot more than watching YouTube!  It’s a great thing to use in the morning when I’m doing my makeup and getting ready for my day, it means I don’t have to be watching the screen and I can just sit and listen to something uplifting and chill before I’m ready to leave.  A lot of the stuff I’ve been listening to is to help me with my Arbonne business, however there have been a few bits and pieces that I’ve tuned into as of late that has just really given me a greater understanding as to why I shouldn’t care what other people think, and I’ve taken a lot away from those audio files that once upon a time I would have thought was a load of rubbish.

Fresh Flowers

As bizarre as it might sound, I’ve really liked picking up some fresh flowers this month for taking my blog photos, as I think they just make a nice touch to the images.  Once my photos have been taken, I tend to just chuck them in a vase and display them in the living room or kitchen, for everyone to enjoy.  I work right next door to a Lidl, and so most of the flowers I’ve picked up as of late have been from there.  I’ve been super impressed with the quality of all off the bunches, they normally last at least five days when they’ve not blossomed yet, and they always have a nice selection to choose from too!

Early Mornings

Another strange one, especially for me, is that I’ve been enjoying getting up super early on my days off – as I tend to get a lot more done.  I’ve been taking martin to the gym in the morning, even on my days off, so that means getting up the back of six and starting my day from there.  Even when I’ve not got much to do during the day, it’s nice to have a proper full day at home to potter around the house and enjoy a full day off!

That’s what I’ve been enjoying this month, lie I said it is a bit of a varied one, but none the less all things that have taken my fancy.

What things have you been enjoying this month?

Until the next one,

All About Arbonne

So many of you I’m sure will be aware by now, but for those of you who don’t know, I’m now an independent consultant for Arbonne.  What’s that, you may ask?  Arbonne are a 35 year old company who create botanic based products using the best of nature and science.  Every single ingredient in every single one of Arbonne’s goodies serves a purpose to the product, and they are constantly reformulating their goods to ensure that they’re never using ingredients that are no longer needed.  We have a wide range of products including everything from skincare, hair care, nutrition and makeup – meaning that we have something for everyone to enjoy, male or female, young or old.

Why Arbonne?  Now that Im finished uni – I’m a 2:2 graduate now ladies and gents – I’ve been thinking about what it is that I want to do forever.  Blogging is my passion, however I know that it won’t pay any bills right now, if ever.  It’s proving difficult to even be considered for a job interview at the moment, never mind making a career.  And honestly, I wanted to do something that I could have fun with, I like makeup, I love skincare and I enjoy nutrition – so really Arbonne was ticking all the boxes!  They’re also a completely vegan company too – so there is never any questions as to if a product is going to be suitable for me, it’s always okay. The best bit about this though?  It’s my time, my effort and my business – so I can work this thing when I want, where I want and for as long as I want.  It’s a completely effort based business, meaning that I have complete flexibly with how much work I put into it. There is no pressure, I can work at whatever pace suit me best, and as long as I’m putting in the effort, I’ll see the rewards of my business over time.  Arbonne have a very successful five year plan to see people through to the highest level of the company, meaning that if I work hard enough right now on the side, I can make it to the top – and that whilst working my current job too!

So what is it that I’m doing?  I’m sharing things I love with everyone – including you!  If I think you’ll benefit from this eye cream, I’ll let you know!  If I think our new lipstick colour will look amazing on you, I’ll shoot you a message!  If I think that out fizz sticks are gonna be the thing that you need to pull you through that afternoon slump, then I’ll hook you up!  From now on, all of my cosmetics and skin care purchases that I will be making will be done through my own online shop, (and I’ll make money on that too!) and so I’m excited to share my experiences with the products on the blog, so that others can see if the goods will be a good fit for them too!  I was never one that would spend quite so much on my skincare or makeup, but now that I’ve made the change and seen the difference that these products have made to my skin, there is no way that I’d ever back to goods I was using before.  Well sell top quality goods at high end prices.  Arbonne don’t advertise publicly, nor do they sell to high street stores.  This means that the money saved from advertising, distribution, retail space and shipping fees is all used to put back into products, making them better than ever.

I’ve loads of information to share and lots of information to give about this whole experience, and over time I will get the chance to share it all with you!  However if you can’t wait for it all to hit the blog, then please give me a shout so that I can help you understand!  Whether it be to try out a product, make a purchase, host a party or learn more about the business opportunity, I’d love to help you out.

You can visit my own online store here: http://LaurenMcghee.arbonne.com/

Until the next one,

Eye Creams for Days

You'll have seen me harping on about eye cream for months now, so I decided to do a little round up post to let you see which ones I've enjoyed best, and what each one is good for!

Boots Botanics 

The bags under my eyes are real, and for weeks I felts as though my eyes were getting puffier and the day went on!  The All Bright Eye Roll On feels so nice around the eye, it gives a really nice cooling effect and I think it reduces the redness on my eye lids too.  Whilst long term it didn’t really do much for my eyes, it was a really nice cooling sensation, I do still grab this whenever my hay fever is bad or my eyes are just looking really puffy.

Superdrug B...

It’s a really thick, creamy and nourishing eye cream that really makes a difference to the texture of the skin around my eyes.  It absorbs really quickly, and I find that it just leaves the skin feeling soft and looking less tired.  I was using this for a good solid five weeks before incorporating the next eye cream into routine, so I think I gave it a fair shot.  I didn’t really make that much of a difference to my dark circles, which were my greatest concern however I’m not sure that I made the most applicable purchase from the range to tackle this problem.  I’ve still some left, and I will use it up, but I wouldn’t repurchase, only because there are other that I’ve found on the way that have done a better job, in a short amount of time!

Naturally Radiant

So whilst personally I will not be repurchasing again, if you fancy giving your eyes a little bit more radiance before your make up, I don’t think you can go wrong with this!  Before I purchased the B radiant eye cream last month, I was using the naturally radiant eye cream for about 6 weeks.  It claims to lighten the appearance of dark circles and make the skin look brighter with each application.  Whilst this did seem to be the case on a daily basis, I do not think that this would be an ideal purchase for anyone wanting to tackle the dark circles directly, like myself.  The cream does exactly what it says it will, as it does make a difference to my eye areas, it just didn’t solve the problem, nor did it hide the issue.

Yes To Grapefruit

This was next on my product list after purchasing the B eye cream, as this time round I did my research properly and wanted to make sure that the product I was getting was going to actually help tackle the problem, and not just cover it.  I read good things online about this product, and so when I saw that people had seen a difference to the dark circles under their eyes in just three weeks, I was sold!  This eye cream is actually beige in colour, and so when you apply it around the eyes not only does it work as an eye cream, but it also sort of helps to conceal them too.  I’ve really enjoyed using this one the most, and I can actually say that I have seen some definite improvement to my eye area!  My only issue is that whenever my eczema is flared up around my eyes, or my hay fever is particular bad, this can sting my eyes quite a bit.   This doesn’t happy with everyday use, but certainly when I eyes are a little more sensitive. 

Arbonne

The latest with the eye care, which might not come as a surprise to many of you if the Arbonne RE9 corrective eye cream!  Definitely the priciest from the bunch, but I can honestly tell you that it is so worth the money on so many levels!  If you’ve read my blog for a while, you’ll know that I’ve always been one for the cheap and cheerful skincare remedies, Superdrug brands being up their with the favourites.  Whilst these products worked well and didn’t cause me many if any issues, since I’ve switched up my skincare to using mostly Arbonne products, I can honestly say that I’ve seen the biggest improvement to my skin, and I’m getting the results from my skin care that I’ve been looking for!  The product works itself into the skin, it doesn’t sit on top, and literally doesn’t feel like you’re wearing anything at all!  Although it’s only a few weeks into incorporating this eye cream into my routine, I’ve seen a good improvement already, and think that over time I’ll finally get the results I’ve been looking for with perseverance!  

                               The difference my eyes over the last few months!

I hope this post has been useful for you, and that it helps you decide what kind of eye cream will help you best! 

I’m now an Arbonne independent consultant, so if you’re looking for a new skincare/make up/hair care product then hit me up!  Here is the link to my online store, you can find the eye cream listed above under the RE9 range!

Until the next one,

My Superdrug Loves… Naturally Radiant

It’s my first post of June… I’m not too sure what I’ve been doing all of this time really!  We are officially 50% into the year, and just over 6 months till Christmas (ho, ho, ho) – where has the time gone?!  These are some of the bits from the Superdrug Naturally Radiant range that I’ve been trying out over the last few months!

Radiance Balm

This balm has worked wonders for my skin day and night, it is super thick balm that sinks into the skin beautifully and doesn’t take long to absorb.  It doesn’t leave a sticky or greasy residue, just moisture with a dreamy scent!  I’ve made my way through two tubes so far, and although I am trying out a different moisturiser right now, this is something that I think I would return to for those times that my skin is dry beyond repair!

Hot Cloth Cleanser

Packed with kiwi and mulberry extracts, the two ingredients work together to buff away any dead skin cells with the help of the muslin cloth, whilst the cocoa butter ensures that your skin is left feeling soft and moisturised at the end of each application.  The cleanser is a really nice, thick and cream consistency that rubs smoothly into the skin to allow the nutrients to be absorbed.  I like to buff this in for about a minute over my face, and then leave it to sit for a little bit longer.  The cream has a really nice relaxing fragrance, it smells like lavender with a hint of fruity scents.  My favourite part about the cleanser is buffing it away with the muslin cloth.  This is when the exfoliation takes place, and when my skin gets the most out of the experience.  The warm cloth works nicely on the skin to remove the cleanser, and you can definitely feel it buffing away the cells – however it is so very gentle, so there is no need to worry about it being too harsh.  After each use, my skin always looks really fresh, even around any blemishes.  I think I picked this up for around the £3 mark, so if you’re looking for something new to try, you can’t really go wrong with this!

Eye Cream

I’ve been on a mission over the last couple of months to try and tackle the monsters that are the dark circle under my eyes.  I’ve not been bothering that much with my make up recently unless I’ve been going to meet friends, however every day I still make the effort to conceal the bags as honestly I look like I’ve been hit by a bus and punched in both eyes without it.  Before I purchased the B radiant eye cream last month, I was using the naturally radiant eye cream for about 6 weeks.  It claims to lighten the appearance of dark circles and make the skin look brighter with each application.  Whilst this did seem to be the case on a daily basis, I do not think that this would be an ideal purchase for anyone wanting to tackle the dark circles directly, like myself.  The cream does exactly what it says it will, as it does make a difference to my eye areas, it just didn’t solve the problem, nor did it hide the issue.  For £5.99 standard price, or £2.95 when I picked it up on offer, I think this would be an ideal starting point for people looking to introduce an eye cream into their skincare routine, just like I was.  So whilst personally I will not be repurchasing again, if you fancy giving your eyes a little bit more radiance before your make up, I don’t think you can go wrong with this!

So these are just a few of my favourite pieces from the Naturally Radiant range that I have been enjoying using over the last few months!  You may or may not already know that I am now an independent consultant for Arbonne, which I’m so super excited about!  There will be a blog post coming soon all about what I’ll be doing, but in the meantime feel free to check out my website, ask any questions about the products and get in touch if you’d like to know more before my post!

What the products have you been liking this month?

Until the next one,

My First Vegan Festival

Today I went along to my first ever vegan festival, which evidently was the first vegan festival that had graced the city of Aberdeen!  I have been looking forward to this for months now, and I was really excited to be taking mum along as this was her first experience at any festival, never mind a vegan one!  We arrived about five minutes past ten – I paid for VIP tickets which gave us priority entrance 30 minutes before standard tickets holders, as well as a very generous goodie bag that was basically full to the brim with snacks, leaflets and discounts!

The festival consisted of two floors, which was packed to the brim with various food, charity, cosmetic and clothing stalls.  We didn’t waste any time, and did a full circle of the lower ground floor in about ten minutes, stopping to speak to the Cats Protection Charity as well as having a few tasters of the Frys Coconut Island raw energy bars – these were absolutely amazing, coco-nutty goodness that legit melts on your tongue.  The couple on the stall were both super nice and friendly, and so mum and I left both with three bars each, I went for the coconut vanilla, chilli and lime and the raw booster.

Upstairs is where ALL of the magic took place, and by magic I mean the magic act of where all of my money disappeared… and I’m not even mad about it.  The stalls were all laid out alongside the walls of the room, giving us plenty of room to walk and browse in between each stall.  We couldn’t have been upstairs any longer than 10 minutes and I had already made my next three purchases!  The first was a gorgeous candle wax melt from the Mulderie Wood stall, I picked up the fragrance Hooley which is their blend of tea tree and bergamot essential oils.  I was advised that all of their candles were made completely of essential oils and wax – 100% natural -  which was a nice surprise considering just how amazingly fragranced everything was.  I paid just £2 for such a huge wax melt, which I was advised could be broken into smaller pieces to make it last longer, something I never would have considered doing!  My next stop was The Aurora Juice Company where I received a sample of the Orange juice before purchasing one myself.  It was a really refreshing, and I’m delighted to have found that they’re based just a few miles from my home town! 

I was really excited to see that the White Rabbit Skincare company had made an appearance, as I’ve been following them online for some time now and was keen to give some of their products a go.  After a lovely chat with the stall holders I left with their Orange and Aloe Toner, which I look forward to sharing my views on with you after a few weeks of use!  Our next stop was the Iuvo Skincare stall, which I have to say I think it was one of my favourite stops from the whole entire festival.  The couple were so kind, informative and just really pleased to have us look at their products, without being pushy or overwhelming.  Mum and I left with a sweet mint bar of soap each, as well as a solid deodorant bar which I was told can last anything between a months to three months, depending of course of how often you like to apply throughout the day.  I’m really excited to give this a go, as I have recently fallen back into the habit of relying on the spray ones with lots of nasties.  I’ll report back with my verdict in the near future!

The rest of our shopping consisted of lots and lots of tasty vegan foods, which pleased up greatly as we had been looking forward to coming home with lots of treats ever since we bought the tickets.  We visited the Cool Jerk Pie stall and left with 8 pies between us including his breakfast, mince and tatties, haggis, macaroni and pulled pork pies.  Right now I can confirm that the macaroni was divine, and based on that alone if you get the chance to pick up something from his stall, go get yourself a pie!  We also treated ourselves to some wonderful brownies from the Herbivore Kitchen, which were the most delicious brownies I have tasted to date!  They were thick, sticky, moist and just packed with flavour with every bite.  After much consideration we also made sure to make a stop at Laurianne’s Raw Cake stall, which held beautifully hand crafted cakes that looks too good to eat.  Our last stop before joining the Face Plants Food stall for our Philly Steak subs was the good old Grampian Health Store, were I treated myself to a trusty Vego bar and my trusty Lemon Drizzle Naked bars. 

All in all we had a great day, the food was fantastic, atmosphere was amazing and we just really enjoyed having the opportunity to browse such fantastic vegan companies in the comfort of our own city.  So thank you to the organisers of the Vegan Aberdeen Festival for such a wonderful day, we look forward to see what next year will bring! 

Until the next one,

Handbag Essentials, Snacking Edition

Ever since college, (as IF that was a whole four years ago?!) I’ve always made sure to have a sweet treat or two lurking around in my handbag.  Once upon a time this was a technique to save the pennies on my travels in and out of town, however more recently this has become essential as I’m never sure if I’m going to be able to easily find a vegan bite to eat on the go.  These are just a few of the bits that I like to keep a hold of on the go for when I’m needing a pick me up or a sweet treat.

Nakd Bars

These have been a favourite of mine for years now, and I always find myself drifting in and out of an obsession with them.  Right now, it’s the new Lemon Drizzle one that is really doing it for me, it taste just like the base of a lemon cheesecake and satisfies all of the sweet cravings that I have with every bite.  Whilst lemon is the most distinctive flavour of all, the coconut flakes throughout add to the flavour to make for a divine treat!  It is for sure my favourite from the bunch now, closely followed by Bakewell Tart!

Natural Panda Liquorice

Whilst these are more so a new find of mine, they are for definite one of my favourite treats to reach for when my Nakd bars don’t make the cut.  Raspberry and Blueberry are two of my favourites from the range as they have the nice fruity taste to disguise the liquorice and add to the sweet sensation.  I had been stocking up at Holland and Barrett, however I have since discovered that my local green grocer sells them also, meaning that I can stock up whenever I desire. 

Nutri-Bombz

One of my favourite discoveries of the last couple of months is the Nutri-Bombz subscription box.  Each month for just £4.99 they send you a selection of energy balls that are made with nutritious ingredients and are always a unique and tasty snack.  My favourites so far have been the Coconut balls and the Mint Chocolate Brownie, as they are so packed with flavour and are perfect for desert on the go.  Despite their size, they are actually quite filling making them a perfect mid afternoon snack, hence why I like to keep them on my person when I’m on the go!  Considering some energy balls cost as much as £1.99 per portion, £4.99 for 9 is fabulous value for money if you ask me!

Have you tried any of the above snacks?  Is there anything else you think I should be snacking on? 

Until the next one,